Success Stories

It's our mission to find the right faculty and staff for your school.

Julia and Liam,

Thank you both for all the candidates that you sent our way. I was not directly involved in these searches, but from my vantage point I am well aware of your support and the excellent candidates that you provided. We hope that we are all set for this ‘season' but if anything changes, we will be in touch again.

Robine Vaneck
Associate Head of School
Waring School

______________________________________________________

Todd,

You’ve been a great motivator to these candidates, and you’ve kept me well informed all along the way. That specificity of work, the communication you’ve provided to me, and the follow up are all what I hope for from you guys. I really appreciate that extra effort on your part.

Corinne Fogg
Dean of Faculty
Williston Northampton School

______________________________________________________

Rice,

I want to echo our heartfelt thanks for such a rich conversation yesterday [during our Career Development Series webinar for faculty at boarding schools]! It was a treat to hear you share such unique perspectives on journeys to leadership, and I'm eager to listen to the portions I missed as soon as the recording is available. We are so grateful for the time and effort you spent to enrich the professional lives of TABS members.

With warm regards,

Emily Breite
TABS Senior Vice President, Member Learning and Engagement

______________________________________________________

The John Thomas Dye School has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Carney Sandoe, and in the early part of 2022, we felt the effects of “the great resignation,” with teachers relocating due to cost of living or even leaving the profession. As a result, we had an unprecedented number of openings, the majority of which we were able to fill with candidates from CS&A. We participated in a hiring conference, which was great to have in-person again, did a retained search for an administrative role, and of course, used the traditional ORM. We also used CS&A for two anti-bias training sessions for our hiring committees. This multi-pronged approach helped us yield a pool of qualified, diverse candidates, from a broad range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as from charter and public schools. Even just a few days into the school year, we can already tell that these candidates are going to have a high impact in our classrooms and be valued members of our community.

Rose Helm
Head of School
The John Thomas Dye School

______________________________________________________

Dear Sloane,

Home run for you, truly, this year with our history needs. You were organized, prompt, and attentive to our needs. Your outreach and efforts to push candidates to respond quickly was really helpful. I also appreciated that you were readily available when I called or emailed. I’ve never closed a search in one week, and we are excited by this late hire.

Corinne Fogg
Dean of Faculty
Williston Northampton School

______________________________________________________

I wanted to reach out to express my appreciation for the phenomenal partnership we have begun with Carney, Sandoe & Associates. Green Tree School has been very impressed with the caliber of candidates we met via the virtual fair on April 1, as well as the candidates we continue to receive from your firm.

Executive Director
Green Tree School

______________________________________________________

Carney Sandoe has sent us the best teachers we ever had: experienced, well researched, and perfect fits. We're lucky to have such a good team working for us. CS&A has sent good teachers to all the schools I have been head of (five), but this year they outdid themselves for my current school. Hooray and thanks!

Pamela Clarke
Interim Head of School
Helios School

______________________________________________________

Good morning Devereaux,

I hope you will indulge me by allowing me to share a story about my hiring experience this year.

Yesterday our President/Head of School asked me to speak to the Parent Diversity Committee about our hiring season and our plan to recruit a diverse faculty.

This conversation began last October when we hired over 20 people in July to expand our Lower School in order to socially distance. Of those 20 hires, there were very few who were people of color. This was not a statistic that pleased our community.

As I prepared to share information about this hiring season, I reflected upon why we were able to hire, to date, 5 people of color out of 9 filled positions. It has always been a goal of mine to diversify our faculty. It is not new for me. It has been difficult because I found limited numbers of candidates.

Yesterday I credited you, Carney Sandoe, and your team with our capacity to find a broader range of candidates. I explained that you are the most effective recruitment firm for education. I also said that I work with a few recruiters who specialize in diverse candidates, and have not had the same results as I have found with Carney Sandoe this year.

I was able to point to the trailblazing work you have done in the field of DEI. I showed your website and the links you have. I shared my experience at the Diversity Hiring Conference. I also said your commitment is so dedicated that you have a team in place to help schools with these issues.

I know that every independent school in the country has the same goal, and I know how busy this keeps your team. I never feel like I do not have your colleagues’ full attention and commitment throughout the process.

I know that our school is known and the people I work with help make the right match.

John Faubert and Rice Bryan were so helpful in securing our two new division directors – even working throughout the winter holiday break.

DZ [Diana Zito] has been incredibly helpful with our tech hires. She asks the best questions and really understands who is best suited for each position we have filled.

Liam Gluck visited our campus (prior to the pandemic) and still is able to tell candidates about our campus and culture with first-hand experience.

Kim Garner – a magician and diplomat!

The list goes on and on.

All this to say, thank you. Every year that I approach the hiring season, I feel like I am reconnecting with old friends. I have seen the growth and adaptability that your leadership has brought to your organization, and I am truly grateful.

With admiration and gratitude,

Ria Maxwell
Dean of Faculty/Director of Human Resources

______________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how incredible Sloane Meyer has been in her handling a job search for us at St. Andrew's School (Delaware), where I am Dean of Faculty Development. It has been an joy to work with her—she is an absolute star.

Through every step of the process, working with Sloane felt like having a true colleague and collaborator in our search process. She asked great questions about what we needed and wanted in a candidate, listened carefully to really understand our priorities in the search, as well as our community and what we value in colleagues. She went above and beyond, giving us a detailed portrait of candidates' areas of deepest knowledge and strengths in the classroom, as well as information about what they could add outside the classroom. It was clear just how well she knew the candidates and their strengths, how much she respected all of them, and how well she represented them to us in the process.

In every possible way, Sloane's work made the case for just how valuable working with Carney Sandoe can be for a school, so I thought I should pass on both my gratitude and how impressed I was by her work not only to her directly (which I have!), but to you.

All the best,

Emily Pressman
Dean of Faculty Development
St. Andrews School

______________________________________________________

Thank you so much for your help with this. I see now the real value of working with a search firm. I don’t think we would have gotten the caliber of candidates that you brought us if we did this on our own. It lifted the spirits of my community to know that there were well-qualified people who’d want to come to our school.

Jessica Donovan
Head of School
Sheridan School

______________________________________________________

Dear Sloane,

Home run for you, truly, this year with our history needs. You were organized, prompt, and attentive to our needs. Your outreach and efforts to push candidates to respond quickly was really helpful. I also appreciated that you were readily available when I called or emailed. I’ve never closed a search in one week, and we are excited by this late hire.

Corinne Fogg
Dean of Faculty
Williston Northampton School

______________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux and John,

I wanted to write a brief note to you both about Diana Zito. We had a physics search that had lots of challenges, including a long duration, and many times we had to regroup and take stock. Diana visited our school in person early on, made herself available all the time, and was incredibly responsive to our needs. Indeed, soon we had to find two teachers with a retirement announced after we started the first search and she was undeterred. As COVID-19 took shape, she did not waver, and I must say, in all my experiences working with a consultant in this kind of situation, her work was really top shelf. Diana impressed me to no end with her positive mindset, her consistent work ethic, her sense of the school and her fair, honest approach to both candidates and our process.

You should be proud to have her on your team, and I am sure you are, but I wanted to put this word in to say what a credit to your organization Diana is, truly. She is a class act.

Mark Schoeffel
Principal, Upper School
Friends Academy

______________________________________________________

A special thanks to you for emphasizing what a great fit our new English/social studies teacher would be here…we probably wouldn't have added another interview without your persistence and we could not be more grateful for it!

Sarah Kinch
Assistant to the Upper Division Head

______________________________________________________

Thank you so much for your help. We explored candidates through CS&A and other avenues, and we feel like the best candidates, by far, come from Carney Sandoe.

Beth Menzie
Math Chair
William Penn Charter

______________________________________________________

Dear Carney Sandoe Team,

After a good run, I'll be leaving Branson at the end of next week. I wanted to say thank you for all the help you've provided with the many hires I've coordinated over the last 10 years. You've always been a great professional resource, and I've enjoyed working with each of you.

Karen Whitaker
The Branson School

______________________________________________________

Devereaux,

Just wanted to share with you how valuable Scott Roy and Carney, Sandoe & Associates were to us this summer. Losing an IT director in the midst of a major software implementation was difficult to say the least. Scott was my first call. He was ready to help, offered advice, and immediately started the process. In 7 short weeks, we met many qualified candidates and ultimately hired one we believe to be a very strong and a good fit. Our search committee and principals were very excited. But that wasn't it. Given the pending implementation, we needed help right away. Scott and Carney demonstrated a degree of integrity, loyalty, and expertise that was fantastic. I saw first-hand what your organization is made of and am proud and grateful to be your partner. On behalf of our school, I'd like to express my deep appreciated and respect for Scott and Carney's support at this critical juncture.

Sincerely,

Isaac M. Silvera

______________________________________________________

Hi Rice,

Just wanted to say that you did a superb job for Applewild throughout. You were timely and responsive, you knew your candidates well, you connected with me whenever I gave feedback, and you doggedly stayed on the search.

Best,

Erica Reynolds Hager
Upper School Head
Applewild School

______________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux,

I hope your summer is going well, and I write to share a bit of feedback on one of your employees, Courtney Bardo.

It seems far too often that we don't provide quality feedback, so I was moved to inquire about how to best share what a positive experience it has been to work with Courtney. She is truly an “all-in” Placement Associate. Having worked with her on multiple language searches this year, I have been impressed with her level of professionalism, candor, quickness of response, and the quality of her service to Stone Ridge. Courtney was always available to discuss candidates, and when traveling, she reached out to follow up on key details and changes in the process. I feel that Courtney knows what we are looking for clearly, and she was able and willing to tailor the candidate pool to serve our needs. This is what we hope for in every search.

Thank you for your continued support of SR in our hiring. 

Warm regards,

Corinne Fogg
Director of Curriculum and Professional Development
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

______________________________________________________

Good afternoon,

I hope you are well. I am emailing to tell you how impressed I am with your search group and your online information. I greatly appreciate the quick replies from John and Bob when I have emailed them questions and submitted application materials. Also, your site is user-friendly, containing some helpful and easily accessed information for job seekers.

I will recommend your search group to any teacher or educational leader for future job searches.

Be well,

J Dianne

______________________________________________________

Dear Jake and Earl,

The search took a lot of work. I knew that going into it. What I had no feel for, at the beginning, was how enriching the experience would be. Getting to know applicants, getting to know colleagues on the committee better than I'd ever been able to before, and getting to know you two were the unexpected pleasures of the task.

I cannot thank you both enough for the guidance, assistance, understanding, patience and devotion you gave us. You were always there for us – and for me – from the day we first met you right through to helping those we had to turn down to find their feet and keep their direction. You always steered us right, or knew what to say, even if the direction was not perfectly clear.

On behalf of the nine of us on the committee, our Head of School designate, and for a very happy George School community, we thank Carney, Sandoe, and you two especially, for a wonderful journey these past eight months.

Best wishes for your company's continued success.

Kindly,

Chris Kerr
George School

______________________________________________________

Skip –

This has been an incredibly helpful exercise, and one that will provide me with opportunities for growth, both with my team and for the school. I'm looking forward to our discussions in the week to come, to provide me with the subtle course adjustments that ensure that we have a positive year (and years!) ahead. Good work, much appreciated!

Be well,

– John Huber

Head of School
Emerson School

______________________________________________________

We appreciate how both of you [John Chandler and Fred Wesson] engaged and coached EAC through this process. You handled this search with the utmost professionalism from start to end. From the preparation for your site visit, to the creation of the position description and the input for our finalists' agendas, we have felt 110% supported. Your communication is second to none. I aspire to be as prompt and well-articulated!

– Jen Weil
Escola Americana de Campinas

______________________________________________________

I have worked with Art Charles and CS&A for about 10 years now. I am the founder and CEO of Meritas, a global family of college-prep, K-12 schools. In this role I have relied on Art to help me recruit Headmasters of schools all over the world. Day schools, boarding schools, local schools and international schools…You will find him to be the best in the business, and I have worked with just about everyone. He is extremely well connected, thorough, and very persistent.

Kind regards,

Mac Gamse
Founder and CEO, Meritas

______________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux,

I wanted to reach out to let you know how fantastic Molly Donovan has been in terms of helping us hire a team of amazing art educators. Thanks so much to Molly, and the entire CS&A crew, for the personalized and professional service you've provided in helping us build our department. I feel like we've reached a point where we have become a destination for some of the most innovative and forward-thinking art educators in the country, and CS&A has played a huge role in helping us get there.

A small but specific example of the added level of service which we loved … a few months ago Molly pushed me to consider a candidate whose status was in question. Per Molly's advice, I interviewed the candidate at the Boston event and ended up hiring her – she's fantastic!

All the best,

Ben Steele
Chair of the Arts Department
The Westminster Schools
Atlanta, GA

______________________________________________________

Thank you again Bob. We got our principal and we appreciate everything you and the CS&A team did to ensure a smooth process and exceptional outcome!

I really enjoyed our conversations and getting to know you. You are a pro, sir, and I learned so much from you on this short journey. While I hope not to need your services for some time…I do hope we can stay in touch. Please let me know if I can ever be of help with your searches down the road.

God bless you and your work with Catholic schools!

Rob

– Rob Webb, President, Chaminade College Preparatory School

______________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux,

I want to share some “fan mail” regarding Skip Kotkins. He worked with us last week and did a wonderful job of quickly finding the pulse of our school. He has a remarkable capacity for connecting with a diverse range of constituents. He listens wisely and actively, drawing forth important information and digging deep to identify hallmark strengths while helping us make sense of the true nature of our weaknesses. What I see emerging is an accurate picture of the school's challenges and opportunities. I like the way he helps us prioritize and he is helping us to frame those challenges in ways that make us feel both eager and able to improve.

So, thank you, Skip, and thank you Carney, Sandoe!

– Paul Zanowski, the Ranney School

________________________________________________________

Hi Ralph,

Martha is an absolute home run. I personally could not be happier. And I think the general response to her is overwhelmingly positive. She is listening to her community, implementing change, and leading with strength and good chi. I'm so proud of the work we did together to bring her to BHMS! So thank you again for everything.

– Search Chair, Brooklyn Montessori School

________________________________________________________

It has been our privilege to have the benefit of great expertise and counsel from the search group at Carney, Sandoe & Associates on two major searches. We have found that the consultants there take a very personal, customized, and comprehensive approach to their work. They also strive to understand our institution and therefore help us hire the best possible person for the particular leadership opportunities here.

— Billy Peebles, Head of School, The Lovett School

________________________________________________________

John…a belated note of thanks for your invaluable aid in helping us secure an Interim Assistant Head of School. Within hours of when I first contacted you, you provided me with names and contact information of a 6-9 candidates, more than one of whom was qualified for the position and a good fit for our institution. Frankly, I was surprised – most pleasantly so.

I greatly appreciate your efforts on our behalf.

— Peter Sommer, Head of School, Cambridge Friends School

________________________________________________________

Hi John,

I would like to express my gratitude for the high level of professional guidance and counseling given to our Board and me in particular, throughout our HOS Search process by Fred and yourself. The process has been transformational for me in understanding educational leadership and best practices.

Thanks for all,

Moï Bongoma
TASOK Board

________________________________________________________

This year, as part of our Annual Board Retreat, we had Dr. Ralph Davison from Carney, Sandoe & Associates give us a one day workshop on Governance. This was a golden opportunity, since we have many new board members. Dr. Davison provided a wealth of information. Prior to his presentation he had requested input from all our trustees. Therefore, he was able to address our specific concerns. His presentation was clear, concise and pertinent to all the issues we were facing. His delivery was so focused and effective, keeping the attention of all and inviting audience participation. Dr. Davison's workshop has been essential in ensuring we do not fall into becoming a dysfunctional Board of Trustees, which is something that could easily occur. We look forward to having Dr. Davison back in the future.

— Maria Recurt
Chair Leadership Committee
Commonwealth-Parkville School Board of Directors

________________________________________________________

Dear John and Fred,

Thank you both for your emails of congratulations and for all of your support and encouragement throughout the process. We are excited about our upcoming adventure to Kinshasa and being a part of the TASOK community – I am pleased to have achieved my first headship and really looking forward to the challenges and rewards that comes with such a position.

I first began my career in international teaching using a couple other recruiting firms. When we started looking this time we connected with each of those organizations. (With one we were even required to pay a substantial fee and complete many requirements.) But we didn't feel any personal touch with them. My point here is that my experience with Carney, Sandoe has been above and beyond my expectations, and I am very impressed with your level of service and support. From the moment I was first in contact until now, you have responded to every email in a timely manner, and treated me with care, respect, and helped me along the journey – at the same time doing the same for the school and other candidates. It always felt like you were in my corner. You genuinely and thoroughly took the time to get to know me as a candidate through my application, Skype interview, detailed reference checks and in email. I can't thank you enough, and will definitely recommend you to colleagues and schools – and look forward to working together again with Carney Sandoe in the future. The other organizations don't even come close to the sophisticated level of communication and support.

— Simon Gillespie

________________________________________________________

Re: FORUM/NYC

Hi Jill,

It was so nice to finally meet you on Friday. The recruitment fair was wonderful. Everything ran incredibly smoothly and the set up was perfect. The prospective teachers that I met really hit the mark in regards to professionalism and competence. We will surely be back next year to tap your talent.

— Linda Trauth, The Children's School

________________________________________________________

Re: FORUM/San Francisco

Thanks for the incredible support at the CS&A fair on Friday. The whole CS&A crew in blue hats did everything I requested (which was a lot) very efficiently and with big smiles–I couldn't be more pleased with the professionalism, positive attitudes, and effectiveness of your team. Thank you!

You guys set me up with a ton of excellent candidates that were all great to meet. Thanks again for all your help; the fair was very much worth our time–and it was a lot of fun!

— Pete Nordlund, Chadwick School

________________________________________________________

Dear Devereaux,
Just got back from NAIS, where I interviewed some good physics candidates for an opening we have. Just wanted to take a minute to tell you how incredibly helpful Will Lane was to me. That guy is a total A+ in my book. Thanks again for all your help over the years but I wanted to make sure I didn't let Will's good work go unnoticed.

— Sean Wetmore, Norfolk Academy

________________________________________________________

Jane & Bob,

I have been meaning to write a letter…to let you know what a pleasure it has been working with you both and your company. You have made the process very easy for us and clearly very successful. The candidates you presented to us were far above the individuals we interviewed last year. We never would have uncovered the quality candidates that you did. We see wonderful things for Falk. Thanks so much for helping Falk and the School of Education move into the future.

— Jere Gallagher, Falk Laboratory School at the University of Pittsburgh

________________________________________________________

I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am given our late start. That we concluded the search over a month ahead of schedule and landed our top candidate is really something to celebrate; thanks to you and Jean for helping to make that happen!” I too, am pleased at the way our searches with you went this year. We managed to hire three critical positions (all before our internal timeline) and with extremely solid candidates. So yes, we did it!

— Joy Okazaki, Hong Kong International School

________________________________________________________

This has been a true journey for CPS. After 21 years of steady stewardship we faced the exiting yet full of responsibility process of finding the right leader for our school. Your solid experience, proven methodology, detailed documentation and (last but no least important), your timely response to our questions provided us with the tools to successfully find the right Head of School.

— Maria Montanez, Board Chair, Commonwealth-Parkville School

________________________________________________________

We could not have been happier with our team from CS&A in leading our Head of School search. They were with us every step of the way and masterfully led us through the entire search process. They successfully and confidentially recruited the very top K-12 leadership talent, and they helped us navigate a myriad of complex decisions as we moved toward our final appointment. We felt like they were truly part of our team, and we were thrilled how the search ultimately turned out.

— Mike Egan, Board Chair, The Westminster Schools

________________________________________________________

Dear John and Carney Sandoe Colleagues,

As Head of a new, independent, Catholic high school–Saint Joseph Prep in Boston–let me say it has been a privilege to work with you. We have hired over 50 people in the past 15 months, and having your resources at our disposal for this last hiring season made all the difference. In fact, were I able to do it all over again, I would have consulted you right from the start! The caliber of the candidates we interviewed and recruited through Carney Sandoe was exceptional, and the entire process was wonderfully positive and professional. When schools–Catholic or otherwise–ponder committing the resources necessary to employ your firm, I would encourage them to consider the very real cost of not using your firm. The fact is that all great schools have, at their core, great educators…and the way to find great educators is often through Carney Sandoe. Thank you for helping us to provide for our students and families an exemplary educational experience!

— Thomas Nunan

________________________________________________________

I am currently on the Board for the John Crosland  School…Back in Jan 2012, while I was Board Chair, our Head of School resigned and we began the process to find a new Head of School. After a significant amount of fact finding, around the March/April 2012time frame, our Search Committee (I was the Search Committee Chair) chose to work with Tom Plihcik at Carney Sandoe.

We were very pleased with both Tom Plihcik and Carney Sandoe. Tom is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in the Head of School search field. He was always very responsive to the Search Committee's needs and questions. His process was very thorough and as the search progressed into Fall 2012, we were positively surprised by the # of strong candidates that we had to choose from. Our candidates who made our “final four” list were diverse and came from Denver Co, Baton Rouge LA, New Jersey, and Charleston SC. We also liked the fact that Tom was very willing to drive down to Charlotte to meet with us in person on a few occasions. We felt like we were getting the best of both worlds–“a local Southeast presence” from Tom as well getting the global reach and resources of Carney Sandoe.

…Bottom line, we were extremely pleased by the work and end result from both Tom Plihcik and Carney Sandoe.

— Jim Kelligrew
Executive Vice President
Head of High Grade Fixed Income
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

______________________________________________________

My name is Mike Alexander and I was up until recently a candidate with CS&A working with Scott Roy. I just wanted to take a minute to express my admiration and gratitude. Scott was by far one of the best support professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He tirelessly worked to find me a good position at a school and constantly was in contact with me regarding my needs and asking if I needed anything else to make my search easier. Scott is a wonderful professional and an amazing individual. Hang onto him, he is a great asset to Carney Sandoe and will continue to deliver exemplary service!

Thanks again!

— Mike Alexander

________________________________________________________

As another hiring season is upon us, I just wanted to  write you a quick note in praise of one of your placement people. While I generally have positive things to say about all of my experiences with your placement agents, Beth McArdle has truly stood out for her hard work, willingness to listen, and good humor through it all. She turned us on to 2 fabulous candidates last year that have proven to be perfect matches for our specific school community–including a new English chair…no easy task. In the world of schools, it is often only the squeaky (or broken) wheel that gets attention or notice, so I just wanted to make sure you knew what a great job Beth is doing.

Best,

Jeff

— Jeff McConaghy, Ed.D., Associate Head of School, Sierra Canyon School

________________________________________________________

I just concluded one of the most extraordinary, professional, and personal experiences of my life with the presidential search process at Creighton Prep in Omaha, and Tim McIntire was simply remarkable throughout the entire process.

From the very beginning, Tim was available, informative, supportive, and “real.” Without his steady encouragement and support, I don't think I would have gotten through the process–with all the “busyness” of my day-to-day as a principal.

Now that the process is over–and now that I am officially the next president at Creighton Prep effective July 1–I can look back and simply marvel at what Tim made possible. Simply wonderful.

— Michael Giambelluca, New Orleans

________________________________________________________

Hi John,

While I certainly have enjoyed being your customer this year, I'm looking forward to a quiet year on the hiring front next year….That being said, it's been a pleasure working with you. Also, you should know that when you are out of the office, one of your team always steps up and helps me. (Even on the Friday before Labor Day!) That says great things about your team.

— Gregg Maloberti, Ross School

________________________________________________________

Hi Rice,

I wanted to let you know that we offered the position to Anne and she accepted. I really appreciate the help you gave us on this one–2nd time in about four months that we have had an opening and you guys have stepped up and filled it within a few days. Great work.

— Jon Lamb, Storm King School

Carney, Sandoe & Associates | (617) 542-0260 | Interested in finding a school job you love?

Apply Now